And then there were five! ALDI is proud to announce that five Irish artisan food producers have been awarded contracts with the retailer as part of this year’s Grow with ALDI programme.

The winners span the length, and breadth of the country, and include a wide array of products, from healthy snacks to delicious condiments. Ambitious, creative, and tenacious, the producers behind these tasty products each possess a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit that makes them the perfect fit for ALDI.

The Grow with ALDI 2022 winners are:

• Cully’s Bakery from Co. Cavan – The Iced Cherry Log created by Brían Cully is based off a traditional recipe passed down for generations and retails at €2.99.
• The Sibly Food Co. from Co. Cork – Handmade Energy Balls from entrepreneur Matthew Collins are not to be missed and are available in two flavours retailing at €4.49.
• Hanley’s Puddings from Co. Cork – This innovative Pudding Roulade is a combination of white and black pudding is available at the price of €2.19.
• Vale & Acre from Co. Tipperary – Delicious back at home Sausage Rolls made using fresh Irish whole pork retail at €2.99. 
• Builín Blasta Co. Galway – Condiment lovers will revel over the Smoked Onion Mayo from popular Gaeltacht café for just €3.79.

The Grow with ALDI supplier mentorship scheme, in conjunction with Bord Bia backs Irish ventures and drives innovation. The programme highlights ALDI’s commitment to supporting Irish producers and sourcing quality Irish food products and making them available for consumers nationwide at great value price points.

This year, Grow with ALDI entrants were asked to submit brave and bold proposals that would set them apart from the pack. Successful finalists underwent a rigorous and competitive judging process and with almost 200 independent suppliers applying to participate in the programme, the competition was fierce. In May, ALDI backed the ventures of 24 finalists putting their products on sale for a two-week period and today announced the five winners at The National and World Ploughing Championships 2022.

Each of the five winners will enjoy new contracts with the retailer. Two entrepreneurs, namely Brían Cully of Cully’s Bakery, Co. Cavan and Matthew Collins founder of The Sibly Food, Co. Cork, have been awarded core contracts. This means that their products will become part of ALDI’s award-winning core range. 

Three further seasonal contracts have been awarded to winners Fiona O’Dwyer of Vale & Acre Co. Tipperary, Anthony Considine of Hanley’s Puddings Co. Cork and Heather Connolly of Builín Blasta Café Co. Galway. Each of the five winning products are available in 152 ALDI stores nationwide now.

Speaking about the launch of the winning products, John Curtin, ALDI Group Buying Director, said: “At ALDI, we are committed to building and nurturing relationships with Irish suppliers. Grow with ALDI allows us to establish long-lasting relationships with small-medium-sized businesses while offering mentorship and guidance along the way. The fact that we are still unearthing vibrant new businesses five years into this programme is a testament to the quality and passion of food producers here in Ireland. The calibre of applicants this year was second to none and we are proud to make products of this quality available at great value price points for Irish shoppers. Congratulations once again to each of our winners.”

Michael Murphy, Chief Executive (Interim), Bord Bia, added: “Bord Bia is proud to continue our successful partnership with Grow with ALDI. The programme is an excellent showcase for emerging food and drink businesses in Ireland and we at Bord Bia, wish them the very best as they embark on the next leg of their business journey.” 

ALDI